Microsoft, Facebook, and others join Alliance for Affordable Internet

Some of the most recognizable technology companies in the world have joined in the effort to make broadband internet available and more affordable to people in developing countries. Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft and Intel are just a few of the list of over 30 companies banding together to form the Alliance for Affordable Internet.

Coming from such powerful positions within the technological world, the Alliance for Affordable internet will lobby in favor of updating policies to be able to encourage open and competitive broadband markets across the globe. Although broadband connections are common and affordable in developed countries, over two thirds of the earth’s population has no access to the internet at all. The Alliance for Affordable internet aims to fulfill the UN Broadband Commissions’ goal of making basic broadband connections affordable in every region depending on income.

In many developed areas, broadband costs less than 2% of a subscriber’s monthly income, however in less developed countries, internet costs around 30% of monthly income. In some areas, such as Mozambique, it is reported that as little as 1GB of data could potentially cost twice as much as the average worker earns in a single month.

Within the next year the Alliance for Affordable Internet intend to approach 3 or 4 African countries in order to begin forming new policies; they hope to expand this to at least 12 countries by 2015.